Tasmanian Catholic bargaining update - July 2023

Negotiations between the IEU and Tasmanian Catholic school employers continued at a full day meeting in Hobart in mid-July, but the parties are still some way off reaching agreement on several key issues.

The IEU is concerned about several contentious employer claims. Employers are seeking to increase the number of days teachers can be required in the workplace over a school year and want to be able to force staff to transfer between Catholic schools.

The employers are also seeking to extend the period of notice a teacher is required to provide when resigning from their position and they want to reduce the amount of matters that can be discussed in school Consultative Committees.

The IEU is strongly opposed to all these changes.

In early June the union and employers agreed to interim wage increases, which saw back pay and increased wages flowing into members’ bank accounts before negotiations on the complete Agreement had been finalised. The IEU considered this a positive sign after the unproductive negotiations in 2022.

However, there is now increasing and understandable frustration in schools that negotiations have been underway for 18 months and a deal is still not imminent.

The IEU has made it abundantly clear to the employers that members want this deal done. We will continue to push for faster progress at the bargaining table.

Employer negotiators are yet to agree to several very reasonable IEU claims, including a reduction in face-to-face teaching time in primary schools from 22 to 21 hours to match conditions in Tasmanian government schools. A new redundancy process is also yet to be agreed upon, with the IEU concerned employer proposals might weaken current protections for staff.

The IEU is also determined to ensure there are adequate rest breaks for Teaching Assistants.

Although employers have agreed to match most of the wage outcomes achieved in government schools, the $500 lower-income payments which were made to government school staff have yet to be paid in Catholic schools. The IEU will continue to push employers to make these payments.

While talks between the parties have been considerably more cooperative in recent months, the IEU remains determined to ensure that members get a good deal in this round of negotiations. At a time of teacher shortages and rising cost-of-living, IEU members will not support a new Agreement that diminishes their hard-won conditions.

IEU Organisers will be visiting schools across Tasmania this term as part of our campaign around this Agreement. We will keep members updated about progress of these negotiations and keep listening to their concerns.

If there is not sufficient progress in coming months, we will amplify member voices so we can finalise this deal sooner.

As always, the bigger we are and the stronger we are, the better the outcomes we can win – so please encourage your colleagues to join you in your union!